Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Wilf Carter biography from The Canadiansseries. It explores the long and successful career of Carter, who was one of the founders of Canadian country music. He was born in Nova Scotia, but he got his start yodeling for tourists in Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta.

Aims

Students will examine Wilf Carter's life and consider the connections between the lives of individuals and historic events. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss Western...

Overview

Inspired by the Six String Nation Guitar, students will produce something (quilt, boat, sculpture) made up of significant historical materials in their locale. Students are to document their research and produce a visual documentary that tells the story of their product.

Aims

Students will use the following skills in this project

Story-telling/creating a narrative

Research skills

Critical judgment

Creativity

Synthesis

Cooperation

Interviewing

Film-Production

Background

Overview

When Canada entered the First World War in 1914, men of all ages enlisted by the thousands. However, this zeal waned as reports of casualty rates arrived home. Recruitment posters were an integral part of encouraging men and women to enlist at all points between 1914 and 1918. They appealed to the many motivations for enlistment and used various propaganda techniques to achieve their goal. In this activity, students will examine reasons for enlistment, recruitment posters, and...

Overview

Students will read a Canadian novel to determine whether it provides an accurate picture of a Canadian event, experience, or character. In order to complete the assignment, students are expected to note the political, social, and economic circumstances outlined in the novel. Using primary and secondary sources the students will then write a report outlining the value of the novel as a historical source.

Aims

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Joseph Scriven biography from The Canadians series. Discover the tragic and fascinating story of Scriven, who wrote What a Friend We have in Jesus, which remains one of the most popular Christian hymns.

Aims

Studying the life of Joseph Scriven provides students with a starting place to research the larger topics of religious conflict, religious charity, evangelicals, and immigration in the nineteenth century.

Background

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Tom Thomson biography from The Canadians series. Thomson is famous for his paintings of the Canadian landscape and his association with members of what became known as The Group of Seven painters.

Aims

In a series of brainstorming and writing activites, students will learn about Tom Thomson, The Group of Seven, and Canadian art.

Background

From amateur artist to national icon, Tom Thomson sprang into Canada’s collective memory in only a few short...

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Louis B. Mayer biography from The Canadians series. Mayer presided over the most successful of all the American dream factories during the "Golden Age" of cinematography, creating a legacy of classic films and American movie icons.

Aims

Although Mayer lived among the rich and famous, he faced many difficult professional and personal challenges. These activities are designed to explore Mayer's contribution to cinema, his family struggles, and his...

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing historical photographs from the TimeLinks Image Archive. This website has a collection of over 2,000 images from Manitoba’s history. TimeLinks is concerned mainly with the decade from 1910 to 1920.

Aims

Students will learn how to interpret historical photographs. This will include identification of objects, persons and events. Students will consider the time, the place, and the purpose behind the photographs.

Activities

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Nell Shipman biography from The Canadians series. Shipman was a silent screen legend who is credited with performing her own stunts, filming the first nude scene, and being a devoted animal rights activist.

Aims

Students will explore the life and accomplishments of Shipman, paying particular attention to her concern for animal rights.

Background

Filmmaking as we know it today began little more than a century ago with the birth of silent screen...

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Northrop Frye biography from The Canadians series. It explores the life and writings of Frye, who was one of Canada's greatest thinkers. He struggled with questions about Canadian identity and the nature of Canada with depth and humour. His ideas and passion have influenced many of today's writers and thinkers.

Aims

These activities challenge students to explore the issues and ideas that Frye wrote about and taught. Students will explore these...

Overview

This lesson is based on viewing the Ruby Keeler biography from The Canadians series. Keeler was an actor and performer who made her film debut in 42nd Street, which kicked off a string a musical hits in the 1930's starring Keeler.

Aims

In a variety of creative and role-playing exercises, students will examine Keeler's contributions to the art world, and reflect on the times in which she lived.

Background

Ruby Keeler was born on August 25, 1910 in Halifax, NS and immigrated with her...

Overview

The impact of the First World War and the Second World War on artists and the art they produced cannot be denied. Along with everything else in Western society, the creators of art and the art they created post-war were much different than anything that had come before 1914. This lesson is about the depiction of war and its aftermath by artists affected by the conflicts. They may or may not have been participants.

Aims

Overview

Students learn more of the First World War by way of a study of the Canadian, British, and American soldier poets that served in France and Belgium.

Aims

Students will search and read the poetry of their soldier poet. It is hoped that they will choose a poem or two that appeals to them and ones in which they can examine word choice, imagery, mood, and figurative language. The pair of students will research and write a biography of their soldier poet. The aim here is that the students...

Overview

Students create a newspaper, from a distinct perspective, that exemplifies an event of the First World War. This project can be modified to the Second World War. The full assignment is attached below.

Aims

Students will gain a greater understanding and appreciation of a specific aspect of the Great War. Students will gain competence is print presentation methods. Other goals can be added to this project to meet specific teacher's needs and curricular outcomes.

Background

This lesson is based on viewing the J.B Tyrrell biography from The Canadians series. Tyrrell was an important geological surveyor for the Canadian government in the late nineteenth century. Among his many achievements, he mapped the North, discovered coal, and the remains of what became known as the Albertasaurus.

Aims

Although there is now a museum in Tyrrell's honour, he was not recognized for his achievements in his lifetime. Students will research Tyrrell's achievements,...